Evening crept in at Saikai Academy, inside the old school building.
"Everyone's here, right?" Rias called from the entrance. As the Gremory heir, the Occult Research Club president, and the de facto manager of the old building dorms, she had naturally become the one who did the final headcount. One hand rested on the wall-mounted teleport switch as she tilted her head toward the living area where the girls had gathered. "If nobody's missing, we're heading back."
By now, this had become part of their daily routine—especially with Keystone Gate growing more crowded by the day. If they didn't check before leaving, someone would inevitably be left behind at school.
And with this many people living together, it was impossible not to notice if someone was absent.
So if everyone was present… then it was time to go.
Clatter!
Just as Rias waited a few seconds for confirmation and reached for the switch, the entrance doors swung open.
Bokue arrived at the last possible moment, dragging two large suitcases in both hands.
Right behind him came Ravel—also hauling two large suitcases.
And behind her came Hasegawa Chisato.
And, finally, a woman none of them recognized at a glance—Raphaeline.
"Eh—wait." Rias blinked, caught off guard. "Bokue, what is…?"
She wasn't just surprised by his timing. She was surprised by the sudden parade of people—and luggage.
Bokue shrugged like this was nothing. "I ran into Ravel at the infirmary this afternoon. I asked if she wanted to move to Keystone Gate. She said yes. So it's settled."
Rias's eyebrow twitched.
'I asked, she agreed, so it's settled'—what kind of explanation is that??
We've officially moved past 'chance encounter' and straight into 'bringing people home'!
"Well," Bokue added, scratching his head, "I'll explain everything properly once we're back, Rias."
Rias stared at him for a few seconds, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Fine. I'll take that for now." Her gaze shifted to the two women beside Ravel. "But why are Hasegawa-sensei and… her… here?"
Chisato raised a hand and smiled, perfectly composed. "Mm~ This is my older sister, Raphaeline. She arrived on Itogami Island today. Since school is over, we're heading back together."
"I know that!" Rias snapped before she could stop herself. "That's exactly why I'm asking!"
Her fist clenched at her side.
Since the semester began, Hasegawa Chisato had been appointed their supervising teacher. But because she was constantly tied up with infirmary work, she almost never came to the old school building. Even in a busy month, her visits could be counted on one hand.
So why now, of all times?
Bokue paused, then tilted his head as if suddenly remembering something.
"Actually… Hasegawa-sensei lives right across from my apartment."
"…Huh?"
A giant question mark might as well have appeared above Rias's head.
Across from his apartment…?
Wait—there was something like that. Their moves to Keystone Gate hadn't been perfectly uniform. Some places had been transferred in bulk—whole floors at a time. Yukina and Nagisa's unit had moved as a complete set, and so had a few others.
But there had been exceptions—cases where the building got shifted by floor anyway for structural reasons, even if not every unit was "claimed" the same way.
Rias's mouth twitched.
"When did that happen?"
Bokue looked up, thinking hard. "No idea. I only noticed after the semester started, I think?"
"…Of course you did."
Rias felt her blood pressure spike.
He barely came to campus after the semester began, and he had definitely never told her anything about this. Which meant debating it now was pointless.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to regain control.
"Whatever. We're going back." Her eyes narrowed at Bokue—who was now pretending to look around at the ceiling like he had nothing to do with any of this. "But don't think this ends here. Tonight, I'm interrogating you. Thoroughly."
"To-tonight…?"
The moment Ravel heard that, her mind immediately ran away with itself. Her cheeks—only recently cooled after her fever—heated up again, threatening to boil over.
She's already that far ahead…??
❁❁❁❁
Back at Keystone Gate, the girls dispersed as usual, splitting off to their homes and routines.
With the old school building crowd already huge, Bokue ultimately assigned Ravel to the beachfront villa.
Four large suitcases stood in the bedroom like monuments. Even in a spacious room, the visual impact was overwhelming.
"Starting today, this is your room, Ravel," Bokue said at the doorway, gesturing inside.
"I have to head out again for a bit. I'll be back… probably after ten. If you're still awake, I'll stop by."
With that, he left.
The moment he disappeared down the hall, a neighboring door opened.
Rossweisse stepped out, looking faintly hollow—like someone whose soul had been set on "power-saving mode" for days.
At this point, she'd honestly lost track of how long she'd been here.
After a long, painful struggle, she'd accepted reality: her "chief deity" wasn't coming to rescue her. Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not ever.
So she'd become… a Valkyrie with nothing to do.
Eat. Sleep. Stare at the wall.
At night, drift near Venelana's door, listen to the chaos on the other side, then retreat and bury herself in blankets with the kind of exhaustion that left her too tired to think.
A salted fish with a halo, clinging to the floor.
…Then she passed Ravel's door and froze.
Her eyes shifted. She turned her head and peered inside.
"Could you be… Ravel-san?"
"Eh?"
Ravel—mid-unpacking—straightened instantly.
"Rossweisse-san? Why are you here?"
Rossweisse's gaze dimmed a little.
"…That takes a long time to explain."
Then she glanced left and right, confirming Bokue was truly gone, and leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper.
"I'll tell you something," she said gravely. "I've heard that anyone who gets brought here ends up getting swept into Bokue Keikain's pace—whether they're ready or not."
"Huh?"
A perfectly upright exclamation mark might as well have popped over Ravel's head.
That sounds amazing—wait, was that supposed to be a warning?
Rossweisse sighed, as if remembering a battlefield.
"It's… terrifying," she concluded, though her tone suggested she wasn't entirely sure whether she meant it.
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